A Second Chance
by phantomgirl259
Summary: Raph, Donnie and Mikey fear that they may have lost their big brother forever. But when they save a stranger who claims that she might be able to save him, do they trust her or let their brother's suffering continue? How will Master Splinter deal with their decision?(WARNING: Mentions of suicide, angst, eggs, DON'T LIKE DON'T READ, Read & Review)
1. We Went To Far

**Chapter 1: We Went Too Far**

Raphael sighed as he stared at what used to be his older brother.

A year. One agonising year of watching his big brother, Leonardo, in a coma lying in a tube full of water, with an oxygen mask strapped to his beak and wire in his arms giving nutrients, blood ect.

Raph placed his shaky hand against the glass.

"We went too far big bro." He sobbed as hot tears poured from his green eyes. "Donnie says ya brain dead now and we're only causing ya more suffering. Mikey won't come out his room, sensai's depressed and I no better."

He collapsed to his knees.

"Everyone except me and Mike have agreed ta turn off life support, but I...I just can't go on with out ya Leo, heh, ya were my best friend and only big brother and look how we treated ya."

Raph continued to cry as memories of how he, Splinter and his brothers had treated Leo.

And how Leo attempted to kill himself...


	2. Lullaby For A Big Brother

**Chapter 2: Lullaby For A Big Brother**

Donnie sighed sadly as he once again entered his lab to find that Raphael had once again fallen asleep by Leo's tube.

Carefully, so that he didn't wake Raph up, Donnie scooped his intimidate older brother up and put the red masked turtle to bed. Donatello put Raphael on the bed and quietly snuck out once again.

Donnie then returned to the lab.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched the heart monitor beep but the one the tested brain waves was silent. A part off him wanted to walk over to there and switch the life support off.

To end his brother's suffering.

But Donnie refused to do it unless all the members of his family agreed to it. Raphael and Michelangelo were still refusing to turn the machine off. Aside for himself, Splinter was the only one who agreed to it.

"H-Hey bro."

He knew that he wasn't gonna get a reply, but talking did help. "I know your proberly tired huh? Well I'm heading to bed now anyway, so if you want I could sing you a little lullaby."

When they were tots Splinter singled Leonardo out.

Kept saying that since Leo was the eldest he could look after himself. The rat would never tuck Leo in, hug him, sooth him after a nightmare or sing him a lullaby like he did with the others

Donnie took a deep breath and began to sing as memories played through his mind about Leo's past and what Donnie did to help...

* * *

 ** _Fate has been cruel and order unkind_**  
 ** _How can I have sent you away?_**  
 ** _The blame was my own; the punishment, yours_**  
 ** _The harmony's silent today_**

 ** _But into the stillness I'll bring you a song_**  
 ** _And I will your company keep_**  
 ** _Till your tired eyes and my lullabies_**  
 ** _Have carried you softly to sleep_**

Donnie felt the tears fall from his eyes as he recalled him, Mikey and Raph when they were younger.

 _ **Once did three turtles who shone like the sun**_  
 _ **Look out on their kingdom and sigh**_  
 _ **They smiled and said, "Surely, there is nobody**_  
 _ **So lovely and so well beloved as they"**_

 _ **So great was their reign and so brilliant their glory**_  
 _ **That long was the shadow they cast**_  
 _ **Which fell dark upon the big brother they loved**_  
 _ **And grew only darker as days and nights passed**_

Donnie wept as he recalled the loneliness in Leo's eyes when Donatello, Raphael and Mikey would play games and refused to let Leonardo join them. It's not that Don didn't notice Leo's depression as they got older, he just simply ignored it.

 _ **Lullay moon prince, goodnight brother mine**_  
 _ **And rest now in moonlight's embrace**_  
 _ **Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth**_  
 _ **Through cloud, and through sky, and through space**_

 _ **Carry the peace and the coolness of night**_  
 _ **And carry my sorrow in kind**_  
 ** _Leo, you're loved so much more th_ an you know**  
 **Forgive me for being so blind**

It was true Donnie had been blind. He always thought of Leo as a big tough brother that would stand tall and proud no matter what verbal and physical beating he got, even from his own family.

He was so very wrong.

 _ **Soon did one turtle take notice that others**_  
 _ **Did not give his brother his due**_  
 _ **And neither had he loved him as he deserved**_  
 _ **He watched as his brother's unhappiness grew**_

 _ **But such is the way of the limelight, it sweetly**_  
 _ **Takes hold of the mind of its host**_  
 _ **And that foolish turtle did nothing to stop**_  
 _ **The destruction of one who had needed him most**_

Donnie recalled a memory. After getting another beating from Raph and verbal lashing from Mikey, Don walked passed Leo's room to go to bed. Leo was sat on his bed, crying.

But Don just shrugged it off and called him a wimp, not thinking that Leo had feelings as well.

 _ **Lullay moon prince, goodnight brother mine**_  
 _ **And rest now in moonlight's embrace**_  
 _ **Bear up my lullaby, winds of the earth**_  
 _ **Through cloud, and through sky, and through space**_

 _ **Carry the peace and the coolness of night**_  
 _ **And carry my sorrow in kind**_  
 _ **Leo, you're loved so much more than you know**_  
 _ **May troubles be far from your mind**_  
 _ **And forgive me for being so blind**_

Donny wept silently as he remembered Raph finding Leo on his bedroom floor two days after Don had heard him crying, with a stab wound on his chest that was done by his own katana.

He had punctured a lung and now not enough oxygen couldn't get to his brain.

Now Leo was brain dead.

 _ **The years now before us**_  
 _ **Fearful and unknown**_  
 _ **I never imagined**_  
 _ **I'd face them on my own**_

 _ **May these many winters**_  
 _ **Swiftly pass, I pray**_  
 _ **I love you; I miss you**_  
 _ **All these miles away**_

 _ **May all your dreams be sweet tonight**_  
 _ **Safe upon your bed of moonlight**_  
 _ **And know not of sadness, pain, or care**_  
 _ **And when I dream, I'll fly away and meet you there**_  
 _ **Sleep...**_

Donnie made sure that the water in Leo's tube was nice and warm, not to hot and not to cold, before he switched the lights off and went to bed...


	3. Tears Of The Youngest

**Chapter 3: Tears Of The Youngest**

Mikey smiled sadly as he entered the lab.

He walked over to Leo's tube and just stood there, staring at the fragile form of his older brother. "H-Hey there big brother." Mikey sniffed weakly as he walked closer.

Leo didn't respond.

"Donnie keeps saying your brain dead and if- WHEN you wake up then you'll be...different. Splinter says that we're only causing more suffering." Mikey glared, but not at his brother.

He would never again glare at his brother.

The glare was for Master Splinter. About 2 days before the three remaining turtles found the mutant rat master messing around the Leonardo's life support system.

And he sure wasn't trying to fix it, even Donnie was furious.

Master Splinter had gone to spend roughly 2 weeks at April and Kirby O'Niel's apartment. Tears gathered in his blue eyes. "But...But me, Raph and Donnie are just not ready to say goodbye yet."

He wrapped his arms around himself.

"Even though we never really showed it we need you, I need you."

Michelangelo suddenly burst into fresh tears and sobbed loudly as he feel to his knees. "I-I'M SO SORRY LEO! I NEVER MEANT TO HURT I SWEAR! JUST PLEASE COME BACK!"

Suddenly the youngest found himself getting hugged by both Raph and Donnie.

But the tears just kept coming...


	4. Eris Crow

**Chapter 4: Eris Crow**

It had been a week since Master Splinter had left and things were getting worse for the brothers.

Raphael had locked himself in his room and only came out for patrol. Donatello spent most of his time working in his lab, trying to find a way to save Leo.

Mikey just sat talking to Leo, even though the eldest could not respond.

All of a sudden the perimeter alarms in the lair went off. The ear deafing sound alerted the remaining turtle brothers to the lab.

"What's happening now Donnie?" Mikey asked fearfully as the genius turned off the alarms.

"There's a number of unknown people moving in on our lair's location!" The purple masked brother cried. "How long we got before they find us?" Raph asked.

"I say, at the speed they're going at now, about 14 minutes." Donnie replied nervously.

"We'll meet them half way before they find our home!" Raphael growled. He then grabbed his weapons and running out the lair.

His brothers quickly followed...

* * *

"They're right up ahead!" Donnie called.

When the brothers turned a corner they met a shocking scene. There were 5 men were attacking a young lady in a white hoodie and trying to take her brown satchel bag.

"Give us the bag lady!" One man hissed angrily.

"NEVER!" She snarled. Suddenly another man sent her into a wall with a hard punch. The leader picked up her bag and began searching in it.

"Didn't ya mom ever tell ya stealin' is wrong?" Raph smirked when he and his brothers appeared to the men.

The leader growled when he saw them. "Rip those turtles to pieces." He said before dropping the mysterious lady's bag and escaping with three of his men through a man hole, leaving his last one to battle the turtles.

But it seemed that this last man was a coward.

Once he saw that he was highly out numbered he quickly escaped through the tunnels. "What do we do with her?" Mikey asked when he saw the badly injured lady.

Raph sighed.

"We'll have to take her with us."...

* * *

"I still think that this was a very bad idea." Don said once again.

They had brought the young lady back to their lair and Donnie checked her over. Other than a few bruises and scrapes she was perfectly healthy.

She was 27 years old.

She had wavy honey brown hair that went down to her elbows and ghostly white skin. She wore a white hoodie, black jeans and white sneakers.

Donnie had looked in her bag.

It was full of bottles full of weird liquids and papers with calculations on them. Suddenly the lady opened her blue eyes and looked around franticly.

"Easy miss, we're not here to hurt you." Donnie soothed.

The woman began to calm down. "H-Hello, my name's Dr. Eris Crow. Who are you?" Eris asked nervously as she stood up and looked around the lab.

"My name's Raphael, and these are my brothers Michelangelo and Donatello."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Eris smiled in a trusting and friendly way. Then she noticed Leonardo floating in the tube.

After a moment she turned back to Donnie.

"Let me guess, this poor boy is now sadly brain dead?" Eris asked, her voice full of remorse. Donnie looked to the ground sadly.

"Yes, he attempted to commit suicide and punctured a lung."

Eris nodded before grabbing her bag. "I think I may have something that can help." She said and pulled out a vial full of glowing pink liquid.

"What is it?" Raph asked suspiciously.

"Something I invented in my lab, it is able to restore lost brain matter. It's why those men attacked me. This is the only vial I have left."

Mikey was getting excited.

"So that means we can get Leo back?!" The youngest beamed. Eris nodded and turned to Don. "I will only administer it with your permission."

Don thought about it for a second before nodding.

Eris smirked. She walked over to Leo's IV line and injected the serum into it, watching as it entered Leonardo's blood stream.

"It will take a few hours for the serum to kick in and I need to make sure that those men aren't at my lab."

Raphael nodded. Both he and Donnie escorted Eris Crow back up to the surface world, unaware of what they had done.


	5. An Unexpected Development

**Chapter 5: An Unexpected Development**

"Told ya we should of taken tha Shell Raiser." Raph growled as they entered the lair.

It had been 5 hours since they had left to escort Eris home and they had left their T-Phones at home so they couldn't call their younger brother to come pick them up from her lab.

Mikey came running out the lair, looking frantic.

"GUYS COME QUICK! IT'S LEO!" He cried. Raph and Donnie quickly followed their baby brother into the lab and gasped at what they saw. Leonardo wasn't in the tube any more!

"WHERE THA SHELL IS LEO?!" Raph shouted.

Michelangelo pointed a shaky green finger to the pile of pillows near Donatello's desk. The two older turtles walked over to the pillows and saw the last thing they expected.

A sheet white ostrich sized egg.

"After you guys left Leo's body began to curl in on itself and shrink, I tried to ring you guys but you had left your T-Phones behind. Suddenly white stuff started to cover him as he shrank some more."

Donnie quickly ran over to his computer and searched up Eris.

"Oh my God." He gasped in horror. "What's wrong Donnie?" Raph asked nervously. "That Eris woman that we saved from those guys is a wanted criminal who is on the run from the FBI."

The other's paled so much that they were almost white.

"It says here that she was once a respected scientist until she injected her assistant with a serum that caused his cells to rejoin. As a result his body started to reduce until he was a newly conceived embryo."

Mikey looked back at the egg. "But unfortunately, with out a mother to provide food and oxygen the embryo died just a minuet after the transformation." Don added sadly.

Raph gasped at this information.

"WHAT ABOUT LEO?!" He cried and rushed over to the egg. "Relax Raph, due to the fact Leo turned into an egg not an embryo he doesn't need a mother to provided him life."

Both Raphael and Michelangelo relaxed slightly.

"So...what do we do now?" Mikey asked. Raph was equally confused. "Well, due to the fact that his cells have reduced they'll start to regrow. In other words his brain is recovering, the catch when that egg hatches he'll be a new born baby and we'll have to raise."

Raph thought about it for a second before smiling.

"This could be the perfect chance to make it up to Leo for all those times we hurt him. Physically, mentally and emotionally." Raphael explained. "We can give the our brother the childhood he deserves."

Don and Mike nodded in agreement and turned back to the egg.

For the first time in a while they felt hope...


	6. Preparations

**Chapter 6: Preparations**

"Mikey, he's not going to hatch any faster with you staring at him 27/7." Don chuckled.

It had been a month since Leo had been turned into an egg by Eris Crow. After scanning the egg, Donatello had predicted that their now baby brother would hatch at around 9 months.

He had placed Leo into an incubator in a large glass case and soft, warm hay for the egg lie in.

"I know but I just don't want to leave him alone ever again." Mikey sighed and placed a hand on the thick, warm glass that separated him from the egg with his brother inside.

Donnie smiled and shook his head.

Both of his brothers had gone to great lengths to prepare for Leo's hatching. Raphael had been buying tons of baby items and supplies they would need for when Leo hatched.

Mikey had torn through books after books on baby care and what babies think and feel from the moment they're born.

If the former youngest wasn't researching or making dinner he would be string at Leo's egg. Donnie was constantly checking on Leo's development to make sure his brother was healthy.

He walked over to the incubator.

"Alright Mikey, I gotta give Leo a ultrasound now." He said and opened the lid to take the ostrich sized egg out of it. Mikey looked at his older brother with a confused look on his face.

"What's a ultrasound?" Michelangelo asked.

Raph walked into the lab to see what was going on. "An ultrasound is an imaging technique based on the application of ultrasound. It is used to see internal body structures such as tendons, muscles, joints, vessels and internal organs." Donnie explained.

Raph and Mikey were still confused.

Donnie sighed. "Basically we'll be able to see how Leo's growing in the egg." Mikey squealed happily and Raph smiled. Donnie shook his head and took the egg out and placed it in a holder.

He then applied some gel to the surface and moved a type of scanner around the shell.

The three turtles turned to the computer screen. A hazy black and white image soon popped up on the screen and they could just make out Leonardo's tiny head and body.

"So how's he doin' Donnie?" Raph asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Donatello smiled. "He's perfectly health at this stage. Right now his carapace and spine are beginning to form but other than that he has no other organs or bones." He explained.

The smartest turtle then printed the picture out for his brothers.

Mikey quickly snatched the photo up and pulled out a giant book. "What's that Mikey?" Don asked as Mikey stuck the photo in. "It's a photo album. I figured we could have one to keep the memories in."

Raph smiled at his younger brother and placed Leo's egg back into the incubator...


	7. New Room

**Chapter 7: New Room**

"Casey quick shakin' tha box!" Raph snapped. The turtles had told Casey Jones and April O'Neil about Leonardo's transformation and the two humans were more than happy to help out.

It had been 7 months since Leo got turned into an egg and every once in a while the egg slightly moved.

Donatello said that this was a good sign that Leonardo was slowly getting stronger and stronger each day and he was trying to break out the egg, but he was not ready just yet.

"Sorry 'bout that Raph, so how long's it gonna be till Leo hatches?" Casey Jones asked.

They placed the box filled with new toys in it down on the floor of Leonardo's new bedroom. Raph had spent a lot of time cleaning the room out so they could put the new furniture in it.

The room had wall paper that was a soft baby blue colour with storks and clouds on every wall.

In the corner was a white crib with a nice cushion bedding a white and blue fluffy blanket and adorable mobile above it with little white bunnies and green turtles hanging off it.

Next to the crib was a small night stand made of dark cherry wood.

On the night stand was a cute little night-light that was navy blue with prancing sheep, moons and stars on it. It played a sweet lullaby as well. At the other end of the room was a soft rocking chair and a cabinet full a of fresh diapers and bottles.

Though they didn't know if Leo would need a bottle or not with him being a turtle.

On top of the cabinet was a diaper changing area. There was a large closet full of different baby clothes such as onesies, shirts, pants and socks the colour either white or blue.

Next to the door was a large fan to help keep the room cool so Leo didn't get too hot at night.

In the another corner of the room was a small bouncer seat that was white with a tint of blue. Near the bouncer seat was a giant box full of baby toys such as rattles, teddies, things for Leo to sink his gums into and so on.

"Almost 2 months, Mikey's gettin' tired with waitin'." Raph said as they headed for the lab.

"Any word from Master Splinter yet?" Casey asked. Raph growled in anger. 5 months after Leonardo's transformation into an egg Master Splinter returned from April's apartment.

But after what he had done when he came home, he wasn't welcome there any more than he was in the lair...

* * *

 _ **(Flashback:** **2** **Months** **Ago)**_

April O'Neil giggled as she led Master Splinter into the lair.

Both she and Casey had already been told about Leonardo's transformation, but no one had told Master Splinter yet. They wanted it to be a surprise. "What is so funny April?" The mutant rat asked.

"Nothing Sensai." She chuckled.

Before Splinter could question her any further Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello came running out the lab. "FATHER!" They cried happily and wrapped their father in a hug.

"Hello my sons." He smiled and hugged them back.

"We have surprise for ya Sensai." Raph smirked as Mikey and Donnie began to push their adopted father to the lab. "Where is Leonardo?!" Splinter asked when he saw that his oldest son was no longer in the lab.

"Taadaa! He turned into an egg!" Mikey squealed and showed Splinter the incubator.

Splinter saw the egg and gasped. After he stared at it for a good long 5 minuets he turned to his three remaining sons with an angry glare. "What have you boys done?!" He shouted.

Everyone was shocked.

"What are ya talkin' about Master Splinter?" Raph asked. "Tell me how did my eldest son turn into a helpless egg?!" He shouted. Donnie quickly explained the Eris Crow incident.

But when he finished Splinter could of had smoke coming out of his ears.

"You made a reckless and selfish action just to get your brother back! Do you have any idea how this will effect our family?!" The rat shouted, scaring everyone in the lab.

"That 'thing' is no longer your brother. It is a devil."

Suddenly Splinter did the completely unforgivable. He kicked over the incubator. The turtles and April watched in total horror as Leonardo's egg tumbled out and fell to the ground.

However.

Just before the egg hit the cruel stone a hand caught it. The hand of Casey Jones. Before Splinter could do anything else he was suddenly smacked in the back of the head by Slash's mase.

Casey and the Might Mutanimals had been heading to the lair with some more baby supplies when they heard Splinter shouting.

Casey handed the egg to Mikey, who cradled it to his chest, while Leatherhead and Slash held Splinter down. "GET OUT YOU RAT! AFTER WHAT YOU'VE DO YOUR NOT WELCOME HERE EVER AGAIN!" Donnie screamed.

With that LH and Slash dragged the mutant rat out the lair...

 _ **(End Of Flashback)**_

* * *

"No. And that rat better not show his face around here ever again." Raph growled.

Casey decided that it would be better to just drop the subject. "GUYS COME LOOK!" Mikey screamed, he was sat by the incubator. Everyone rushed to the incubator to see what was going on.

Leo's egg began to move again.

It wiggled around for a minuet before once again going still. "Awww." Mikey moaned in disappointment. "Be patient Mikey, Leo will hatch when he's ready to hatch. It takes time." Donnie said.

"I know." Mikey sighed...


End file.
